1 52 Miscellaneous. 



On the Origin of Species. By J. Gwyn Jeffreys, Esq. 



At the last Meeting of the British Association, held at Oxford, 

 Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys exhibited in the Natural History Section several 

 specimens of Buccinum undatum, each of which had a double oper- 

 culum, — in one instance a second or supplementary operculum being 

 piled on the usual one, and in the others there being two separate 

 opercula, instead of one, in each Whelk. Mr. Jeffreys adverted 

 briefly to the different kinds of monstrosity which occur in animals 

 and plants, and said he believed this to be the first case of a similar 

 monstrosity in the Mollusca. He observed that the monstrosity 

 under consideration appeared to be congenital, and not to have arisen 

 from an accidental loss of the original organ, because in some of the 

 specimens both opercula were cases of hypertrophy, and in the others 

 of atrophy ; and he mentioned that all the specimens came from the 

 same place (Sandgate, in Kent), showing a repetition, and perhaps 

 a hereditary transmission, of the same abnormal phenomenon; 

 and he suggested that thus permanent varieties might in course of 

 time be formed, and constitute what some naturalists would call 

 " distinct species." He adduced, in support of this view, the case 

 of a reversed monstrosity of the common Garden Snail (Helix as- 

 persa) having been bred for many years in succession by the late 

 M. d'Orbigny, in his garden at Rochelle, as well as many instances of 

 a reversed form of Almond Whelk (Fusus antiquus) having occurred 

 in the same localities on the coasts of England and Portugal, such 

 being the normal form in the Crag. 



On the Habit of Notopteris Macdonaldii, Gray. 

 By John MacGillivray, Esq. 



This curious Bat, which does not correspond sufficiently with the 

 characters of any genus I have access to — coming nearest, however, 

 to Macroglossus or Kiodotus — inhabits a deep, narrow, and very 

 high cavern communicating with the sea, at the south-east corner of 

 this island. I twice paid visits to this spot, but could not effect an 

 entrance either by land or water : this can only be done during a 

 dead calm, at low water, spring tides. A few days ago the specimen 

 in the bottle was brought me : it had been found dead that morning 

 under a banana in blossom, where it had probably been feeding during 

 the night. The natives had previously told me that the Negrei 

 Putegetho (as they call it) is fond of resorting at night to the 

 banana blossoms. 



Aneiteum, July 1859. 



PENTACRINUS FISHERI, 



described by Mr. Baily in our last Number, was erroneously stated 

 to have been found in the Kimmeridge Clay : it should have been 

 the Oxford Clay of Weymouth. 



